Abarth 500C (10 on) - Review

Despite the soft-top roof, the Abarth 500C feels fairly refined on the move when closed. Engine noise is never intrusive but the driver can still hear the excellent noise gurgling from the exhaust. Opening up the top does make things a little noisy and quite windy – especially when you get going. A wind-stop is available but only as a pricey option. While there is decent room for manoeuvre on the seat and steering wheel, the seating position could drop lower for a small performance car. You’ll struggle to sit two adults in the back comfortably, but there’s no issue up front. The front seats are comfortable enough and offer decent back support although taller drivers may find the leg support insuffiicient making longer journeys more of an issue. The ride is a little stiff but not quite as bad as you’d expect for a sports derivative.

Customers won’t be going out their way to buy this car for its carrying capabilities, but you still get the 182 litres of boot space offered in the regular 500C. This means you will out-do most of the rivals when it comes to carrying luggage. However, if you do need a little more room you’ll have to pay extra for folding rear seat.

Like the regular Fiat 500C rear visibility isn’t great because of the tiny window although this has been rectified somewhat with rear parking sensors as standard. There are plenty of sporty touches to let driver know they are in a performance car particularly the paddleshifts behind the steering wheel, sport button and turbo indicator mounted on the dashboard.